“One of the many reasons he joined the military was to start his life all over again in the sense that he wanted to get educated and be trained, and show his parents that he cared about his life and wanted to improve upon his life.”— Steve Rim, Pastor, Grace Korean Church

Kim and his family came to the U.S. from South Korea in 1990. After his death became public, a stranger who also lost a son in Iraq visited the family unannounced to offer comfort.